Im Bitter about Litter
Litter affects our lives more than you would think
how much?
about seven billion tons of litter enters the oceans each year, with a large percentage of it being long lasting. Litter gets around with the help of wind, water, traffic, and animals but we put it out there first.
What it does to us
You may not care about that wrapper you just threw on the ground but did you realize that it was taking your money away for someone else to pick it up? In Virginia alone it costs $25 million each year for the pickup and that money is coming out of our pockets. Our taxes are used to clean up what we are to lazy to grab instead of going to our education. Not only that, but its dangerous for us too. It creates fire hazards and health risks by attracting rodents and carrying bacteria. When you litter, it spreads the message that it is okay to do so. Dropping trash spreads like a disease. Imagine what would happen if one person picked up one piece of litter a day! Taxes would decrease and we would all be much safer as a community.
Effect on the Animals and Environment
About 100,000 sea mammals along with turtles are killed each year by plastic litter. Things like plastic bags and balloons pose a huge threat to animals when the believe it is food. This causes the animals to suffocate and die like the turtle below. Old cans and rubber bands, fishing line and discarded bottles of wine, they all pose great threats to injury and even death to animals if not properly disposed of. Litter damages our waterways and landscapes, can destroy forests, and injures animals and people each year.
How long does it stay for?
Well lets see just how much damage each of us has done...
~piece of paper____________________________________________________2-4 weeks
~candy wrapper_______________________________________________________1-3 months
~plastic bag__________________________________________________________10-20 years
~aluminum can____________________________________________________200-500 years
~six pack ring_________________________________________________________450 years
~glass bottle_______________________________________________________ 1 million years
~plastic bottle_______________________________________________ will never disintegrate